Now a Team
by Zeragii
Summary: They really had come so far. They had gone from hating him, to tolerating him, to...this. They actaully cared. And Po had a feeling he never would have even made it this far...without his friends. (Just a short one shot about the feelings and thoughts during the boat scene in Kung Fu Panda 2.)


**Hello, I'm Zeragii! ;)**

 **This is just a little one shot I did, just to see how I liked writing the characters of Kung Fu Panda. I'm pretty excited for the third movie coming out (though a little nervous as well), so I may write more of them in the future. But, for now, I'll just dip my toe in and see how it goes. This is just a bit of a deeper look into the feelings of a few of the characters during the boat scene from Kung Fu Panda 2.**

 **I do not own any of the Dreamworks characters, names, themes, or ideas. I do not write for profit, but for my own enjoyment, and, hopefully, the enjoyment of others. Thanks! :)**

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"Po, why are you really out here?"

Po would have given a lot to have been able to escape Tigress's question. And yet, deep down inside, he wanted to tell her; to get it off his chest before the pure heaviness of it all drowned him. He needed to tell someone, and, as tough and unemotional as Tigress could be, she was as good a channel for him to pour his heart out to as anyone else at this point.

Tigress had changed a lot since he had first met her. She had started out with feelings of icy cold jealousy and hatred, which had truly hurt him then. It wasn't easy to be shunned and scorned by someone you had always idolized. He had always imagined her as fearless, and cunning, and totally awesome. Which she was. But he had also always seen her as fair. Which, when he had first come to the Jade Palace, she had not been. Sometimes he still thought back to those days. How she had gone out of her way to make him feel inferior. To make him feel unwanted. And it had very nearly worked. He had very nearly been convinced that he was not the Dragon Warrior, and that he should leave the Jade Palace forever. But he had proved himself wrong. He had proved everyone wrong. Tigress had long since realized his worth, and now treated him as one of the Masters of the Valley of Peace, with a deep friendship that only continued to grow. And still, even after the way she had acted toward him in the beginning, Po still valued her opinion. He valued her opinion, and he trusted her enough to tell her what she wanted to know. He trusted her completely. After all, she had changed. The way she was kneeling next to him, eyes filled with genuine concern, proved that.

Po took a deep breath, trying to muster up an outer appearance of indifference. As if it was really no big deal. Even though it was. A _really_ big deal. "I just found out my dad...isn't really my dad." He looked at her expectantly, as though he expected her to be just as shocked as he was. This whole problem had been eating away at him since they had left the Valley of Peace, and, frankly, for him it had all just come out of the blue. Sure, he had had his...doubts, over the years, but Mr. Ping...Po had always trusted him so flawlessly. He had never _felt_ adopted. His dad had always treated him as his own son. So much so, that, despite the facts, Po had always believed it.

Tigress stared at him a moment, wondering how she should take his answer. "Your dad? The goose..." she intoned slowly, fighting the urge to smirk. Sometimes it was hard to tell whether Po was being serious or not, but when Po nodded, a sort of pain in his eyes that his manner didn't reflect, she realized that he was serious. Po was completely serious. He was holding in his true feelings, Tigress could tell. Even though the words felt ridiculous in her mouth, she felt her unease fade as she spoke. "That must have been quite a shock." She didn't know what else to say. It was apparent to her that everyone else seemed to see the lack of family resemblance between Po and Mr. Ping, except for Po himself. That it had taken this long for him to realize the difference either showed Po's stupidity...or his unnaturally strong sense of inborn innocence.

Po took another deep breath, still trying to keep himself together, his thoughts going back to his 'father', as well as the elements of his still-fresh nightmare. "...Yeah." His eyes widened slightly, focusing suddenly when Tigress leaned forward a bit, her amber eyes searching his own worriedly.

"And this bothers you?"

It wasn't a taunting question. Or ridiculing. Or even chastising. Her voice was calm and careful, as though she knew just how much he was really hurting. But, for some reason, Po all at once didn't want her to know. He wanted to be like the rest of the kung fu masters; his idols. Why did he have to be so emotional? So Mr. Ping wasn't his dad. So what? It didn't change anything...Did it? And yet, he couldn't seem to be able to conquer the feeling that churned within him. A sort of curiosity, singed by a hidden terror that he couldn't understand. And he was ashamed of it. He just wished he could turn off his feelings, so that they couldn't hurt him anymore. He was just so tired of these thoughts and questions rolling around ceaselessly in his mind. He wanted them to stop, though he had a bad foreboding that this was only the beginning. But, for now, he'd try to downplay his emotional pain. He was embarrassed by it. He didn't want it to make him weak in the eyes of his friends. He didn't want to disappoint them...or Shifu.

Pasting on his most convincing smirk, Po gave a humorous exhale. "Are you kidding me?" He shrugged carelessly, trying to hide just how disturbed he truly was, blinking it away and locking it deep inside himself. "We're warriors, right? Nerves of steel! Souls of platinum!" His gaze returned to Tigress, his fear of being discovered just barely showing. "Like you. So hardcore you don't feel anything." He gave a chuckle, smashing a fist into Tirgress's shoulder playfully, only to hear it crackle before pulling back in pain. "Yo! Wow!"

Tigress's gaze had slipped a little during Po's words, shifting from the panda's face to rest into the distance, shock turning to realization in her expression. Was that really what Po thought she was like? For some reason, that thought pained her. It brought back memories of her days in the Bao Gu orphanage, where she had been considered an unfeeling monster. While she was no longer considered that specifically, she still, to that day, dreaded the fear that so many held toward her. All except Po. The panda had always looked up to her in a way she just couldn't fathom. But, even then, did he really believe she didn't 'feel anything'? And why would he wish to place himself in the same sort of category. It was then that she gained a small glimpse of how bad Po had to be hurting. She knew for a fact that he was very emotionally sensitive. It was part of what made Po who he was. This whole conversation was him trying to convince her, and maybe himself, that he wasn't hurting as bad as he truly was.

Tigress's eyes softened, her face relaxing in a sort of sadness. "I was-"

"So, what are you guys talking about?"

Both Po and Tigress's eyes widened, the smallest hint of embarrassment shining through, as Mantis, Crane, Monkey, and Viper joined them out on the ship's deck. The bug warrior, who had spoken, crawled up Po's stomach, jumping off and landing on one of the various crates of fruit that littered the boat. Po's first instinct was denial.

"Nothing...Nothing."

But, just like with Tigress, he felt the smallest bit of regret at his words. Something inside of him wanted help. So badly, but, then again, he didn't want to dump his troubles on his friends. Just like Tigress, Mantis too had always been one of Po's heroes. Mantis hadn't treated him well either when he had first come to the Jade Palace. Between him and Monkey, the bug had set in motion many jokes that, truth be told, had hurt a lot. They had hated him too. They had believed that he not only didn't belong in the palace, but didn't belong anywhere other than back in the village making noodles. They had made jokes about him being fat. About him not being able to even see his toes, never mind touch them. And, dispite that maybe being true, it had truly crushed Po at the time.

But now, Po couldn't imagine a day without either Monkey or Mantis. Of the Five, they were the ones that played around with him the most. They weren't as stern and focused as Tigress, or mature as Crane and Viper. They enjoyed a good joke, or even a bad one, and Po had lost count of how many pranks he and Monkey had pulled on one another. They had changed so much, just like Tigress. They actually enjoyed his company. They were the ones he turned to when he needed a smile, or a laugh. And yet, they were also patient teachers, helping Po obtain many techniques that were just...amazing. They meant a lot to Po, and he could tell that they felt very similarly toward him.

Viper looked into Po's eyes with a hint of understanding. "Po's having daddy issues," she informed the others quietly, gently.

Po shook his head, a grimace on his face, trying to say that she was wrong. But Viper was hardly ever wrong. Of the Furious Five, it was Viper who had always been the most accepting of him. Oh, sure, she had done her part to try and get rid of him when he had first been chosen as Dragon Warrior, but she had just been more...polite about it. She had beaten him up in training, but she had apologized. She had laughed at Monkey and Mantis's cruel jokes, but she had also pitied him, wondering why he wouldn't give up before he got hurt.

Now, she was like his conscience. That sweet little angel that was always there to remind him to be careful, or gentle, or understanding. Because _she_ was understanding. She just had that ability. She was so young, and kind; a heart that was truly a gem among the history of kung fu masters. Po often felt very privileged to be a friend of hers, not realizing that she felt very much the same way about him.

Crane had been similar, though maybe not as genuine; but he had tried to tell Po how he disliked him without hurting his feelings too much. Crane was an interesting individual; so easy to read. When Po had fallen into the avian's bedroom that night, what felt so long ago, while it had been obvious that Crane hadn't wanted him there, he hadn't been as blunt as some of the others. Looking back, it was really an awkward situation. Po had known Crane didn't like him, hearing the bird use such words as 'disappointing'. It had cut Po deeper than he ever would have wanted to admit.

But now, he and Crane often worked together, practicing move after move in an effort to find ways they could function together more smoothly in battle. Crane had even worked hard at finding just the right balance so that, should the need arise, he was able to catch Po and hold him momentarily while in flight. It had taken a long time to learn, but Crane had never given up. He had been determined, afraid that if they didn't succeed, that something might happen that could hurt Po that could have been avoided. And he had proven right. Po could think of several instances where Crane's maneuver had saved his life.

"Man, I'm so lucky," Mantis spoke up, breaking Po's train of thought. "I don't have any problems with my dad." His voice turned thoughtful. "Maybe that's because Mom ate his head before I was born. I don't know..." He stopped immediately as Viper sent him a glare.

"Mantis, this isn't about you! Po is the one freaking out."

It was then that Po felt something odd. A sort of warmth that he had been lacking so badly since the whole adoption thing had first started up. He looked around him, taking in the kind and concerned eyes of Tigress, Mantis, and Viper. He felt the slight weight on both of his shoulders, taking a moment to realize that Crane and Monkey had reached forward, touching him in an effort to give him comfort. They had all been friends for a while know. They had gone from hating him, to tolerating him, to...this. They cared. They actually cared. Not only that; they _believed_ in him. And it was something...something that Po still had a hard time accepting himself. He was the Dragon Warrior, but, in reality, most times he just felt like...him. Po, the son of a noodle maker...

If he was even that.

"I'm not freaking out," Po said defensively. Still thrown off by their sincerity.

"Po..."

"I'm freaking in!"

"PO!"

Tigress's voice finally caught his attention. "What?!" He and his friends looked up, following Tigress's gaze. Their eyes widened as they looked on into the fiery horizon.

"We're here," the tiger declared seriously, all traces of her moment of feelings now gone; buried within her. "Gongmen City."

Po felt a shiver run down his spine. For some reason, the city gave him the chills. It was as though it held a frightening combination of danger and secrets, both of which made him uneasy. almost sick. But he couldn't focus on that now. Kung fu needed to be saved. He had to push these feelings aside. He had to have inner peace. But, try as he might, he just couldn't seem to obtain it. And the sight of Gongmen City somehow seemed to make it worse. He knew he'd never have made it even this far...without his friends.

His friends who had once hated him with a passion. Who had done everything in their power to make him quit. Who had hurt him, physically, as well as emotionally, but who now crowded around him. They cared and watched over him. They worked with him, and constantly tried to help him improve. They were even willing to comfort him, whether he wanted it or not. What a long way they all had come.

Enemies were now his friends.

Idols were now his trainers.

And that friendship, growing stronger every day he was with them, made them _a team_.


End file.
